Nigeria woos investors, hosts UK trade mission

The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission has said Nigeria is positioning itself as a reform-driven and competitive destination for global capital, as it hosted a United Kingdom trade and investment delegation in Abuja.

The position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday following the UK–Nigeria Trade and Investment Mission held from April 20 to 21, 2026, in collaboration with DMA Invest and the UK Department of Trade, alongside participation from the British High Commission and private sector stakeholders.

According to the Commission, the mission delivered “a clear and confident message to potential investors that Nigeria is open for business, reform-driven, and ready to compete.”

The NIPC said the two-day engagement featured ministerial roundtables, sector-specific discussions, and targeted Business-to-Government and Business-to-Business meetings to translate dialogue into concrete investment deals.

It noted that participants “moved beyond dialogue to action, identifying concrete, bankable opportunities aimed at accelerating investment inflows and deepening bilateral economic ties.”

The Commission added that DMA Invest described its performance as “the best it has ever been,” a development it said reflected ongoing institutional reforms, improved coordination, and efforts to create a seamless, investor-focused environment.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, was said to have led the engagements, setting the tone for discussions centred on converting recent diplomatic momentum into tangible investments.

Quoting Rimi, the statement said, “This Mission is not just about conversations—it is about conversion. Our priority is to ensure that strategic engagements lead to real projects and partnerships that create real impact on Nigeria’s economy.”

She stressed the need to translate gains from the recent state visit of President Bola Tinubu and other UK–Nigeria engagements into measurable investment outcomes.

The Commission described the mission as a significant step in strengthening economic cooperation between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, noting that it aligns with ongoing efforts to attract foreign direct investment amid broader economic reforms.

It added that, as momentum builds, the NIPC remains committed to facilitating investments, unlocking opportunities, and driving sustainable growth through strategic partnerships.

The PidomNigeria earlier reported that the United Kingdom was the leading source of capital importation into Nigeria, contributing $3.73bn, or 57.94 per cent of total inflows, according to the most recent Capital Importation report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

This was as Nigeria’s capital importation rose to $6.44bn in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 26.61 per cent increase from the $5.09bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2024, alongside a 7.13 per cent rise from the preceding quarter, signalling sustained improvement in capital inflows.